


Cat in Wolf's Clothing

by raiykei



Category: A.C.E (Beat Interactive Band)
Genre: M/M, bk is introspective and has his emotional support catboy, catboy!chan, emotional support catboy, it has happy notes i swear, mentions of the others - Freeform, needs to be its own tag, some notes of depression, werewolf!byeongkwan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-17 11:22:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,779
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29099490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raiykei/pseuds/raiykei
Summary: Byeongkwan is used to lonely, used to being on his own, though he has to admit that having Yuchan around makes life ten times more worthwhile. Even if his mind is his own worst enemy the closer it gets to the full moon.Not that Chan is going to let him go any time soon.
Relationships: Kang Yuchan | Chan & Kim Byeongkwan
Comments: 4
Kudos: 21





	Cat in Wolf's Clothing

**Author's Note:**

  * For [elutherya](https://archiveofourown.org/users/elutherya/gifts).



> Birthday gift for the ever lovely Rene~! They threw me down the Byeongchan rabbit hole, so I need to return the favor in the only way I know how: destruction.

It hadn't been long, in the grand scheme of things.

Certainly nothing more than a drop in the bucket of time that he had known Yuchan. And yet, Byeongkwan still found his chest twisting every time Chan would toe his shoes on at the door, casting a loud, "I'm gonna go hang out with Sehyoon!" over his shoulder while pulling a bucket hat on top of his head over his two tufted cat ears. The hat that Byeongkwan had gifted him not long after they had begun living together. Every time he could practically smell the excitement that radiated from Chan, the energy that buzzed around him. Couldn't ignore the smile that stretched his lips from ear to ear.

It wasn't that he was jealous of Chan spending time with the three others they had come to call friends. In fact, he was rather glad that the catboy had found others to entertain his endless energy and constantly moving mind. Byeongkwan knew enough about himself to know it wasn't the green claws of jealousy that caressed his cheek and whispered in his ear, it was the cold fangs of fear, the fog of uncertainty. He knew somewhere in the forefront of his mind that it was irrational, that Yuchan choosing to spend time with others didn't reflect poorly on their friendship, didn't mean anything outside of their little circle expanding.

But he had spent too many years alone with no one at his side to be unaffected by it, too many years with nothing but the echoing loneliness of his apartment to keep him company. Chan had filled a gaping hole he didn't know had formed. He had brought a burning warmth to a man that hadn't realized how cold he had been. Byeongkwan didn't want to go back to the days of coming home to an empty house, of not having a presence by his side, of wandering each day without direction, doing the bare minimum to survive.

His life had been a boring hell before Yuchan.

He didn't want to go back to that. Didn't know if he could go back to that.

It was that fear that clung to his thoughts, itching at the back of his mind when silence blanketed him, when there was nothing to distract him from falling further and further. Yuchan could have his pick of anyone. He certainly had the charm to make friends with anyone he wanted to, as he had done with Donghun, Junhee, and Sehyoon. Irrational, part of him knew, but he had seen Yuchan's attention switch from one thing to another at the drop of a dime. It wouldn't surprise Byeongkwan in the least if one day Chan found himself gravitating more and more towards the others, leaving him in his empty apartment, longing for better days and times long past.

The rather unfortunate thing was that thoughts such as the ones floating through his head weren't uncommon the closer it got to the full moon. Byeongkwan ended up fighting himself more than he did anything physical, repeating the same arguments time and time again, exhausting himself in a way no amount of exercise could compare to. He had gotten good at quieting the voices, backed by years of proof that their words were nothing but lies. And yet, they always came back, always tried to worm their way into the little cracks of doubt.

Byeongkwan didn't have much energy to move from the couch, eyes closed, the only sound drifting through the space being the playlist Chan had put on before he had left. 'So you don't feel as alone,' the catboy had said with a wink, as if Byeongkwan were a puppy needing consoling. But he would be lying if he said it didn't help. The constant steady stream of music gave him something to occasionally focus on, and what had started out as a joke between them years ago now became second nature. Chan left to run errands, to meet with friends, to stretch his legs, and he put on his music before walking out the door.

So much of Yuchan had slowly seeped into the walls of his home. The clothes that took over his closet, the extra items scattered all over the counter in his bathroom, the foods and snacks that were stocked in his kitchen. His little apartment that had existed more as a place for Byeongkwan to sleep had suddenly become a home. Without Yuchan, would it revert back to what it once was? Would it lose the energies that made it comfortable and worth coming back to?

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door, the familiar scent of Yuchan wafting through the doorway. Some of his more immediate worries dissipated with the addition of another body in his space, though some of the anxieties hung around, pushed as far to the back of his mind as he could, shushing the voice that continued to whisper lie after lie.

"I got dinner. The lady down the road from Sehyoon's gave me way too much tteokbokki, so I hope you're hungry."

"The one who always hits on you?" Byeongkwan knew his exhaustion carried in his tone, hard to hide on a good day from someone who knew him as well as Chan did. 

The catboy didn't comment on it, struggling his way out of his shoes and holding the bag with dinner as high as he could. "That's the one."

Byeongkwan gave a hum, only opening his eyes when Chan sat on the couch next to him, his cat ears perked forward in anticipation, tongue sticking out from between his lips as he dug through the bag. One container of food was set on Byeongkwan's lap, the other placed on the couch next to Yuchan. "Junhee asked about you. Apparently Donghun's not having a great time before the full moon either. Migraines." One final item was pulled from the bag, a little glass vial that Chan set on top of the food in Byeongkwan's lap. "Sehyoon says it should help even things out, but you're not allowed to take it until you eat."

He rolled his eyes, settling the vial off to the side to pull open the container of food. He wasn't particularly hungry, but he knew that Yuchan would never let him hear the end of it until he ate something. Sometimes it was easier to give in to the cat's demands than face his wrath later. Especially when he wasn't feeling up to playing any teasing game at the moment. Maybe later, but for now he'd let Yuchan have his moments.

There was no missing the pleased noise Yuchan made before beginning to dig into his own food, twisting on the couch until he could easily lean against Byeongkwan. That was all it took for Chan to start rambling about his day in between bites, occasionally forcing food in Byeongkwan's mouth if he thought he wasn't eating fast enough, tail flicking and curling over their ankles. It was nice, it was routine, it gave Byeongkwan something familiar to fall into, drawing a small smile to his face.

The elixir was sweet on his tongue when he was finally given the okay to drink it, a bold contrast to the spicy tteokbokki from earlier, settling warm in his stomach, comforting in a way that only Sehyoon's magic could be. The warlock had a way with his spells, subtle and always looking out for those close to him. It wasn't a surprise that Chan had come home with something to help ease the time before the full moon. It was a surprise that Sehyoon knew at all, something Chan must have mentioned during one of their hangouts. Maybe Chan asked if Sehyoon had anything to help, maybe the warlock made the decision on his own, but the weight of the little vial sat heavy in his hand, the knowledge that regardless Sehyoon had spent time and effort to put it together for him. 

A different sort of anxiety settled in his chest, tugging at parts of his heart that had gone too long without some sort of care.

"What're you thinking about?" Chan sprawled himself across his lap, the movie they had turned on playing low in the background, forgotten at some point, head tilted back and eyes staring up at him.

Byeongkwan hummed, setting the vial to the side before he reached down, squeezing Chan's cheeks until his lips pursed. "Did you ask Sehyoon to make that for me?"

"No." Chan twisted away, tail giving one thrash from the other side of the couch, ears twitching as he curled into a pout. "He handed it to me before I left."

Another hum, this one met with an almost suspicious look, as if Chan were expecting another question, a demand, some continuation to the topic. There were few too words to begin to explain what was floating through his mind, the emotions that pulsed through his chest, the fears that lay hidden just below the surface. He could deal with those, same as he dealt with all the other thoughts that plagued him. Just one more set of questions to sort through, more answers to puzzle his way through.

He stretched a leg out, nudging Chan's thigh with his toes. "Get your brush." There was a moment where Yuchan hesitated, but all it took was a raise of Byeongkwan's brow for him to slither off the couch and pad towards the bedroom, a little too quick to be casual. 

It didn't take long for him to return, wearing what Byeongkwan knew to be one of his own oversized hoodies, the brush tossed into Byeongkwan's lap before Chan deposited himself ungraciously across him. He was none too careful or gentle in wiggling his way into a comfortable position, tucking one of the smaller cushions under his chin. Byeongkwan smoothed a hand over the fur of Chan's tail before beginning to run the brush through the strands. There was no ignoring the pleased hum of a purr that rose from Chan's throat, or the way his fingers kneaded against the fabric of the cushion, nails blunt from a recent filing.

They fell into an easy silence, Byeongkwan working with practiced hands to untangle the knots that formed in Chan's long fur, paying close attention to spots he knew would get the best reactions and needed the most attention. It was only after having combed through the entire length, fingers massaging the spot at the base of his tail, that the werewolf spoke up, trying to keep his voice as level and steady as possible.

"Hey, Chan?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."


End file.
